Safety-razor.



E. H. COOPER & s. B. EARLE. SAFETY RAZOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 611913.

1,140,664. Patented May 25, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTORS.

ATTORNEYS.

E. H. COOPER & S. B. EARLE.

SAFETY RAZOR.

APPHCATION FILED ocT.6, 191s.

Patented May 25, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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ERNEST H. COOPER AND STANLEY B. EARLE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SAFETY-RAZOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, rate.

Application filed October 6, 1913. Serial No. 793,687.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ERN ST HERBERT COOPER and STANLEY BEAUMONT EARLE, subjects of His Majesty the King of England, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Razors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is for improvements in safety razors of the type in which the blade is movable to lie and adapted to be held in alinement or substantial alinement with the handle for the purpose of stropping and j cleaning the same, and being particularly applicable to safety razors of this type in which in addition to the blade being movable as aforesaid the guard is movable to fold down toward or against the handle to admit of said stropping and cleaning, the improvements will be hereinafter described in such application.

By the present invention considering a preferred embodiment of safety razor thereunder, a safety razor of the kind referred to is obtainable in which means combined with the blade for holding the same from movement in either direction when in the shaving or stropping or cleaning position are effective also for Varying the 7 amount of projection of the guard beyond the edge of the'blade; provision being made for admittingv and securing the requisite movement of the guard toward and away from the handle in accordance and preferably automatically with the said adjustment of the blade and guard, and such automatic movement of the guard away from as well as toward the handle being advantageously obtained by a spring control combined therewith; the present improvements comprehending a spring control so formed and arranged that the further advantage is afforded of preventing vibratory movement of the blade and/or guard.

In a less complete aspect of the present invention the provision for varying the amount of projection of the guard beyond the blade edge may be dispensed with if a cheaper article he desired, in which case by suitably determining the fixed shaving posi-- ,ment about the pivotal axis.

the blade and the guard in the shaving position.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, on which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a razor constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof, the section being on line to 00 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a. rear view, and Fig. 4 is a front view. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a razor with the blade and guard in the stropping position. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a modified construction of a razor constructed according to this invention. Fig. 7 a sectional view thereof. Fig. 8 a rear view, and Fig. 9 a front view thereof. Fig. 10 is a sectional view of another modified construction of a razor with the blade and guard in the stropping position. Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of a detail of the razor according to Figs. 6 to 10.

We will describe a construction of safety razor which embodies the present improvements. A blade holder 1, in which a blade 2 may be detachably secured in any desired manner, is pivotallymounted in a U-shaped frame 3 secured at the top of a tubular handle 4 the holder being capable of move- Pivotally secured to a tail piece 5 of the said blade holder 1 is a link 6 which is pivoted at its other end to the upper end of a rod 7 which passes through the tubular handle 4 so as to be capable of reciprocatory movement therein, means being combined with the rod for finely adjusting this in the shaving posiv tion of the blade and the guard. Thus the handle is provided according to the example selected with a groove 8 furnished with or without notches or the like and inclined at a small angle to a plane at right angles to the rod 7, with which groove engages a pin projecting from the interior of a cap or thimble piece M to which the reciprocatory rod is secured to move therewith. By slightly turning the cap or its equivalent on the lower end of the handle the cutting edge of the blade when this is positioned in shaving relationship with the guard may be moved nearer to or farther away from the forward end of the guard. Provision may be made as by means of the groove 8 forming a continuation of the groove 8 and being substantially parallel to the axis of the rod, for giving a fast movement to the reciprocatory rod in order to facilitate the changing of the blade from the shaving into the. out of shaving position or vice versa which is accomplished by moving the rod upwardly or downwardly respectively, the groove 8 serving to lock the blade in the shaving position while the groove 8 forming a continuation of the part of the groove 8 and having a corresponding inclination to that of the groove 8 serves to lock the blade in the stropping or cleaning position.

Preferably the guard 9 is pivotally arranged so that it may be folded down toward or against the handle 7, and a spring control is combined therewith to hold the guard in either the shaving or out of shaving position, the arrangement of the spring control being such that inthe former position of the guard, variations within limits of the shaving position of the guard is yieldingly permitted by the spring, whereby the amount of projection of the forward end of the guard beyond the cutting edge of the blade can be varied by moving the blade as in the manner before described, the guard automatically yielding in accordance with such movement, and, in the desired adjusted positions of the blade and guard, the spring is effective to prevent vibratory movement of the blade and the guard.

According to the construction of safety razor illustrated by Figs. 1- to 5 of the drawings, the-.said spring control conveniently comprises a strong wire spring 10 secured at the portion 11 between the handle 4 and the U-frame 3, the handle being connected to the frame 3 by means of the headed thimblepiece 11 which passes through an aperture 'in the said frame and is screw threadedfor engagement with the handle 4. This spring a 10 is connected to projections 12 on the guard 9 by means of links 13, in such manner that when the guard is in the shaving position the spring not only tends to retain the guard in such shaving position, but also when the guard is moved down against the handle, tends to retain the guard in such position.

. According to the modified construction of safety razor illustrated by Figs. 6'-to .10 of the drawings, the spring control conveniently comprises a strong spiral spring 15 arranged around the rod 7 in the tubular handle 4 and the cap or thimble piece 14. The lower end of the spring 15 rests against the part 16 of the cap 14 and the upper end thereof bears against the underside of a stepped sleeve 17 which is mounted .in the tubular handle 4. The sleeve 17 is free to slide on the rod 7 and within the tubular handle 4; an appropriate clearance being object of the balls 18 being to facilitate the sliding of the sleeve 17 by preventing the rod 7 from contacting with the sleeve 17 when the rod 7 is being subjected to side thrust. The upper part 19 of the sleeve 17 passes through and out of a headed thimble piece 20 which extends through an aperture in the frame 3 and is screw threaded for engagement with the. handle 4. The upper part 19 of the sleeve 17 is connected to projections 21 on the guard 9 by means of links 22 pivotally secured to the part 19 and the projections 21. 'When the guard 9 and blade 2 are in the shaving position the sprin will be compressed between the part 16 o the thimble, piece 14 and the lower endof the sleeve 17 thereby not only tending to retain the guard in such shaving position, but also when the guard is moved down against the handle, will tend to retain the guard in such position. To prevent any twisting action being imparted to the rod 7, convenient means may be provided, and such means preferably consisting of a pin 23 secured to .guard 9 for exerting a push or kick upon .the tail piece 5 of the blade holder to push this over the dead center, when the guard 9 'is moved from the .stropping into the shaving position, it being necessary to previously release the tension on the tail piece to admit of such a functioning of'the guard. 1

The guard is preferably provided with side lugs 9 to'prevent injuryto the shaver bythe corners of the blade.

In the case Where facilities varying the amount of projection of the guard beyond the cutting edge of the blade are not required only a fixed movement of the rod is wanted but in order to insure precision of adjustment and toprevent vibratory movement of the guard a spring control of the kind referred to is combined with the guard.

As indicated in Figs. 1 or 6 the adjustment of the blade in relation to the guard may be made under the guidance of a scale and pointer respectively furnished on the handle 4 and the cap 14.

With a razor constructed substantially as hereinbefore described there is realized the blade and guard being folded down'toward the frame to lie nearly parallel therewith. The additional advantage is also afforded of avoiding impact of the blade and the guard one against the other when brought into shaving relationship. A further advantage derived by the preferred illustrated embodiment is that the-blade may be raised into the stropping or cleaning position without bringing the hand of the user into contiguity' with the cutting edge.

It will further be observed with particular reference to Fig. 5 or 10 that an especially rigid supporting of the blade in the stropping position is realizable in virtue of the endtensioning of the rod 7 by the link 6 and tail piece 5.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A safety razor of the kind described including in combination, a handle, a guard, a blade holder and a blade carried thereby,

said blade being movable independently of the guard into the shaving and stropping positions, means passing down and movable longitudinally of the handle and connected to the blade holder for rotating it, and means for holding said blade holder actuating means against movement to prevent any substantial displacement of the blade when in either its shaving or stropping position.

2. A safety razor of the kind described including in combination, a handle, a guard, a blade holder and a blade carried thereby, said blade being movable independently of the guard into the shaving and stropping positions, means passing down and movable longitudinally of the handle and.

" linked to the. blade holder for rotating it,

and means for holding said blade holder actuating means against movement to prevent any substantial displacement of the blade in either its shaving or stropping position.

3. A safety razor of the kind described including in combination, a handle, a guard and a blade carried thereby, said blade being movable independently of the guard into the shaving and stropping positions, a blade holder having a tail piece lying in the plane of the blade and means for exerting end tension on said tail piece to rigidly hold the blade holder against displacement in either direction when in the stropping" position.

4. A safety razor of the kind described including in combination, a handle, a ard and a blade carried thereby, said bla e being movable independently of the guard into the shaving and stropping positions, a blade holder'having a tail piece lying in the plane of the bla e and means passing down and movable longitudinally of the ping positions, means passing down and movable longitudinally of the handle and connected to the blade holder for rotating it,

and means for efiecting an adjustment of the parts in the shaving position thereof by manipulation of the said blade holder actuating means whereby the amount of projection of the guard beyond the edge of the blade may be varied. I

6. A safety razor of the kind described includin in combination, a handle, aguard, a blade older and a blade carried thereby, said blade being movable independently of the guard into the shaving and stropping positions, means passing down and movable longitudinally of the handle and linked to the blade holder for rotating it, and means for effecting an adjustment of the parts in the shaving position thereof by manipulation of the said blade holder actuating means whereby the amount of projection of the guard beyond the edge of the blade may be varied.

7. A safety razor of the kind described including in combination, a handle, a guard, a blade holder and a blade carried thereby, said blade being movable independently of the guard into the shaving and strepping positions, means passing down and movable longitudinally of the handle and connected to the blade holder for rotating it, elastic means for preventing vibratory movement of the guard in relation to the blade when the parts are in shaving relationship, and means for holding said blade holder actuating means against movement to prevent any substantial displacement of the blade when in either its shaving or stropping position.

8. A safety razor of the kind described includin in combination, a handle, a guard, a blade 1% said blade being movable independently of the guard into the shaving and stropping positions, means passing down and movable longitudinally of the handle and linked to the blade holder for rotating it, elastic means for preventing vibratory movement of the guard in relation to the blade when the parts are in shaving relationship, and means for holding said blade holder actuating means against movement to prevent any substantial displacement of the blade in either its shaving or stropping position.

older and a blade carried thereby,

'9. A safety razor of the kind described including in combination, a handle, a guard, a blade holder and a blade carried thereby, said blade being movable independently of the guard into shaving and stropping positions, a reciprocatory member "passing down the handle and connected to the bladeholder for rotating the latter, lockable finger actuated means for reciprocating said member for holding said reciprocatory member against movement to prevent any substantial displacement of the blade when in either its shaving or stropping position, a sleeve connected to the guard and slidably located within said handle and spring means acting on the said sleeve.

10. A safety razor of the kind described including in combination, a handle, a guard,

a blade holder and a blade carried thereby,

said blade beingmovable independently of the guard into shaving and stropping positions, a reciprocatory member passing down the handle and connected to the blade holder for rotating the latter, lockable finger', actuated means itor reciprocating said member for holding said reciprocatory member against movement to prevent any substantial displacement of the blade when in either its shaving or stropping position, a sleeve linked to the guard and slidably located within said handle and spring means acting on the said sleeve.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST H. COOPER. STANLEY B. EARLE. Witnesses:

' A. G. BARNES,

L. Ann. 

